Digital Commons Network^™

The Failure Of Louisiana Campaign Finance Law: A Case Study Of Brnext And The 2004 Mayoral Election, Casey Elizabeth Rayborn

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis is a case study in how weak campaign finance laws and government oversight can undermine democracy in a local election. It does so by demonstrating how Louisiana campaign finance law enabled one wealthy businessman to play a major role in a mayoral election under the auspices of an issue-based political action committee. Through the examination of the Louisiana PAC BRNext, its financial activities, and its relationships, this study suggests that BRNext and its founder Lane Grigsby were able to violate the spirit of the law in each of these areas. BRNext was able to take advantage of the …

Factors Influencing Choices Between Eastern And Western Clinics In The Midwest By Women Facing Infertility, Carol L. Wright

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

"But Seriously, Folks...": Understanding The Political Effects Of Late Night Television Comedy, Danielle Lynn Sarver

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The potential political effects of late night comedy programs have been a subject of much debate and concern, particularly since the 2000 Presidential election. Research into this area has been characterized by inconsistency in operationalizations of audiences and an almost exclusive focus on quantitative research. This project was designed to address key concerns that are central to this burgeoning literature by examining “heavy” viewers of late night talk shows (including audiences of Leno, Letterman, and Conan O’Brien) and “heavy” viewers of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to understand the relationships …

Toward A New Understanding Of Wisdom: The Role Of Communication On Perceptions Of Wisdom, Jon M. Croghan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wisdom is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, multidisciplinary construct which has been discussed and examined since the beginning of recorded history. Many classical and contemporary scholars have sought to define wisdom, but a precise definition has proven elusive. Since wisdom often defies easy categorization, this dissertation examines wisdom using a multi-methodological perspective. Four chapters of this dissertation discuss the historiography of various societal attributions of wisdom using performance studies techniques. Three chapters examine wisdom and the instruments constructed to measure the construct from a social scientific approach. This study seeks to clarify, while simultaneously deconstructing, the definition of wisdom. The four performative …

Confusion Over Use: Contextualism In Trademark Law, Mark D. Janis, Graeme B. Dinwoodie

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This paper tackles an intellectual property theory that many scholars regard as fundamental to future policy debates over the scope of trademark protection: the trademark use theory. We argue that trademark use theory is flawed and should be rejected. The adoption of trademark use theory has immediate practical implications for disputes about the use of trademarks in online advertising, merchandising, and product design, and has long-term consequences for other trademark generally. We critique the theory both descriptively and prescriptively. We argue that trademark use theory over-extends the search costs rationale for the trademark system, and that it unhelpfully elevates formalism …

Through The Quarantine Looking Glass: Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis And Public Health Governance, Law, And Ethics, David P. Fidler, Lawrence O. Gostin, Howard Markel

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Peforming Louisiana: The History Of Cajun Dialect Humor And Its Impact On The Cajun Cultural Identity, Debrah Royer Richardson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Cajuns, the descendants of the Acadian diaspora begun in 1755, chose to live a largely isolated existence in Louisiana until elements in the nineteenth century began concerted efforts to assimilate the Cajuns. By the beginnings of the twentieth century, the dual challenges of enforced schooling and the prohibition of spoken French affected the Cajun sense of pride. Around the same time, outsiders (satirists from Louisiana who were not of Cajun descent) used the Cajun dialect, in publications and on the radio, to humorously skewer Louisiana politics. Over the last century, Cajun dialect humor has evolved along specific lines that have …

Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: An Isolation Order, Public Health Powers, And A Global Crisis, David P. Fidler, Howard Markel, Lawrence O. Gostin

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Structural Manipulation Of Pyrrole-Terminated Dendrimers To Create A More Efficient Encapsulation/Release System, Henry Wiggins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work demonstrates the ability to manipulate the structure of pyrrole-terminated dendrimers by modifying solution conditions which directly affects their encapsulation properties. Investigations were conducted using FTIR and 2D NMR to determine the location of end groups. NMR relaxation studies were conducted at various temperatures and different solution pH to gain an understanding of the relative mobility and rigidity of different areas of the dendrimer. It was found that that the release properties were affected by the solution pH and the presence of salt. Further the effectiveness of retaining molecular guests by oligo-pyrrole terminated dendrimers with a range of oligomer …

Can I Play Too? A Look At Minor Party Entrance And Success In U.S. Gubernatorial Elections, Jay Douglas Ducote

LSU Master's Theses

New minor political parties and their candidates face many challenges. Most of challenges have been examined on the national level in the previous literature. By examining ballot access laws and campaign finance regulations in all 50 U.S. states, this thesis argues that differences in the restriction to ballot access and campaign finance laws account for some of the variation in the number of new minor party candidates who run for governor in each state as well as the percentage of the vote they receive. Using a coding for ballot access laws and campaign finance stringency, as well as several control …

Effects Of Cryopreservation And Constituents Of Semen Extenders On Mitochondrial Function Of Bull Spermatozoa, Abdulhakeem Hashim Eljarah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of semen extender constituents and cryopreservation on bovine spermatozoal mitochondrial function. Three yearling Holstein bulls were used. Two ejaculates per bull were collected and pooled on a weekly basis for five weeks and extended in four treatments: 1) sodium citrate egg yolk extender with antibiotics (lincomycin, spectinomycin, gentamicin and tylosin); 2) ¡°1¡± with glycerol; 3) ¡°2¡± without antibiotics; and 4) ¡°1¡± without antibiotics. Each was divided into portions for analyses before freezing and after cryopreservation. The pre-freeze and thawed semen were transferred to a 37¡ãC water bath, the same assays were performed. In experiment 1, …

Particle And Dredge-Scale Kinetic Studies Of Hydrophobic Organic Chemical Desorption From Sediment, Justin Edward Birdwell

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The discharge of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) and other hazardous substances from anthropogenic sources to surface waters and the atmosphere has led to the widespread contamination of bottom sediments throughout the world. HOCs collect in sediments due to their affinity for organic matter and other sorbents present on and within their solid matrices. There is interest in the movement of HOCs from historically contaminated, resuspended sediments to surface waters due to the connection between chemical desorption and bioavailability. Quantitatively accurate predictions of contaminant concentrations in environmental media are needed for reliable risk assessment and to develop strategies for protection of …

Evaluating Seashore Paspalum Seed Germination And Enhancement, Erosion Abatement And Potential Use As A Vegetative Landfarm Cap, Dexter Paul Fontenot

LSU Master's Theses

Four temperatures were tested to determine the optimum temperature for seed germination of Paspalum vaginatum 'Seaspray' seed. Results indicated that Paspalum vaginatum germination percentage was greatest at 30°C. Three seed enhancement treatments were applied to Paspalum vaginatum seed to determine improvements in germination percentage and MTG of the seed. Potassium nitrate, GA, and soaking seed in distilled water yielded greater germination percentages than the dry control. Seeds subjected to enhancement treatments had significantly faster MTG rates than the dry control seeds. Seeds also had higher germination percentage with exposure to light when compared to seeds that germinated in conditions not …

Uncomfortable Performances: Discovering A Subversive Scenario For Rape Discourse, Annamaria Ruffino

LSU Master's Theses

Current trends in representations of rape show a new fascination with a rape scenario, a fascination that puts a normative slant on discourse surrounding rape. Normalizing the rape scenario carries various consequences for women; the first and foremost is that it turns the experience of rape into an entertainment commodity, thus causing women’s voices to be appropriated into dominant discourses and the capitalist project. One possible way to circumvent this normalization is to look toward feminist performance strategies in order to subvert this rape scenario and the discourses surrounding it from within. In this thesis, I explore ways to accomplish …

Korean Hurricane Media Discourse Analysis, Youngae Lee

LSU Master's Theses

Presented within this thesis, I have analyzed a particular TV broadcast news discourse called Korean Hurricane Media Discourse (KHMD), which was presented online from YTN, a Korean cable TV news station. The data presents the topic of the Korean refugees who were forced to evacuate to Baton Rouge from New Orleans, after facing the destructions of Hurricane Katrina on August 2005. The methods are Ron Scollon’s TV news frames (1998), van Dijk’s superstructure (1988a and 1988b) and macrostructure (1980), Allan Bell’s news structure (1991), Dell Hymes’s SPEAKING model (1974), and Erving Goffman’s frameworks (1986). Since KHMD is a spoken, plannable …

Characterization Of Advanced Composites- A Nondestructive Approach, Phani Surya Kiran Mylavarapu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Adhesively bonded sandwich structures comprising of particulate composites as core and graphite epoxy skins as stiffeners are widely used for various applications in the marine and aerospace industry. The core material and the stiffener are held together by an adhesive bond. Particulate composites are made from a mixture of a polymer resin and hollow or solid particles. Hollow particulate composites are known as syntactic foams. Particulate composites possess attractive mechanical and physical properties such as high compressive strength etc, making them attractive materials for use in structural applications. Characterization of the adhesive bondline and core material in sandwich structures is …

Blakely's Silver Lining; Sentencing Guidelines, Judicial Discretion, And Crime, Joanna Shepherd

UC Law Journal

The Supreme Court's recent decisions in United States v. Booker and Blakely v. Washington, invalidating mandatory criminal sentencing guidelines, could have the unexpected benefit of reducing crime. This Article is the first to use regression analysis to explore the relationship between sentencing guidelines and crime. It shows that adoption of guidelines is associated with significant increases in crime, contrary to the expectations of many of the original supporters of sentencing guidelines.

After developing several economic theories about the relationship between guidelines and crime, the author investigates this relationship empirically using a large, state-level data set. The analysis shows that guidelines …

Principles For Resolving Conflicts Between Trade Secrets And The First Amendment, Pamela Samuelson

UC Law Journal

Trade secret defendants sometimes raise First Amendment defenses to trade secret misappropriation claims. Some commentators believe that the First Amendment defenses should never be given credence in trade secret cases because trade secrets are property rights and there is no First Amendment right to violate property rights, a theory which the California Supreme Court arguably adopted in DVD Copy Control Association v. Bunner. Other commentators assert that preliminary injunctions in informational trade secret cases should be considered prior restraints on speech, which bear a heavy presumption of unconstitutionality.

This Article asserts that preliminary injunctions in ordinary trade secret cases generally …

Informed Consent: Requiring Doctors To Disclose Off-Label Prescriptions And Conflicts Of Interest, Margaret Z. Johns

UC Law Journal

The doctrine of informed consent should be expanded to require doctors to disclose: (i) off-label prescriptions; and (2) conflicts of interest created by drug-company marketing. Off-label prescriptions are those which do not comply with the FDAapproved use for the drug. While they are perfectly legal and a significant part of mainstream medicine, accounting for more than half of all prescriptions written today, in many instances they are not supported by scientific evidence, drive up the cost of health care, and expose patients to unnecessary risks. Conflicts of interest arise because drug companies provide free continuing medical education, pay speakers' and …

Creative Judicial Misunderstanding: Misapplication Of The Public Trust Doctrine In Michigan, Carl Shadi Paganelli

UC Law Journal

A candid but rational inquiry into the history of the public trust doctrine is essential to understanding a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision that suddenly and unexpectedly took private property for public use without just compensation.

Despite the Latinate allure of its terms-jus publicum and jus privatum-the public trust doctrine has no Roman law origins. It is a creature of the common law. It arose in England to explain the Crown's rights to tidelands and navigable waters. It followed English dominion across the Atlantic, where the fertile imagination of American lawyers unearthed the doctrine's supposed ancient Roman roots.

This Note …

Moving Towards A Very Long Engagement: The Effects Of Interactivity On Prolonging Engagement With Online Movie Advertisements, Jesse T. Hoggard

LSU Master's Theses

An experiment with 421 participants aged 18-45 was conducted to measure the effects of interactivity in an online movie advertising setting, and the effects of interactivity on consumer engagement and other brand metrics. Results from a post-test survey revealed insight into participants’ perceived level of interactivity, and reflected varying levels of attitude towards ad messages, ad recall, mood, and factors in purchasing habits. Results suggested that while interactivity can sometimes hinder advertising recall rates, it can also increase positive attitudes toward the advertisement, click-through rate, intent to purchase, and mood. Practical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

The Play's The Thing: A Theory Of Taxing Virtual Worlds, Bryan T. Camp

UC Law Journal

This Article looks at the potential tax issues arising from a new life activity: online role-playing games in virtual worlds. Currently, some thirty million people regularly play such games and the number is growing. Exploring the reach of the Tax Code into virtual world transactions not only responds to the potentially practical needs of millions of U.S. taxpayers, it also permits a reevaluation of core principles of income tax as they interplay with life activities in the context of twenty-first century American culture.

This Article's central thesis is that while player activity in virtual worlds undoubtedly produces measurable economic value …

Default Production Of Electronically Stored Information Under The Federal Rules Of Civil Procedure: The Requirements Of Rule 34(B), Vlad J. Kroll

UC Law Journal

This Note explains what parties have to do to meet the requirements for default production of electronic discovery under Rule 34(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Specifically, the author analyzes the meanings of "ordinarily maintained" and "reasonably usable" as used in Rule 34(b). After laying out the background of electronic discovery under the Federal Rules, the author interprets the rule's requirements for default production. First, the author analyzes the rule's language to determine its plain meaning. Then, the author examines the rule's position in the overall scheme of the Federal Rules. Finally, the author examines the rule's drafting …

Intracellular Lipids In Bos Indicus And Box Taurus Oocytes, Casey Bryant Ballard

LSU Master's Theses

It has been proposed that Bos indicus when compared with Bos taurus embryos are more sensitive to cryopreservation procedures due to higher intracellular lipid content of the embryos. With cyropreservation of Bos indicus embryos increasing for export, it is essential to improve the viability of these cryopreserved embryos. In Experiment I, M-II oocytes from mice, pigs and cows were subjected to two different procedures to evaluate lipid content. The lipid content present in pig oocytes was significantly (P<0.05) higher when compared with mouse and cow oocytes. Pig oocytes had a lower settling point in the sucrose buoyant density gradient and higher Nile Red units, which indicated higher lipids present in the oocytes. In Experiment II, it was determined that M-II oocytes aspirated from superstimulated Brahman donors were significantly higher (P<0.05) in lipid content compared with English breed donors. The lipid content present in Brahman oocytes was higher when compared with English breeds when tested with a sucrose buoyant density gradient and Nile Red staining. In addition, donor females with higher body condition scores were significantly (P<0.05) higher in oocyte lipid content when compared with donor females of lower body condition scores. Furthermore, animal body condition scores, cholesterol and triglyceride levels prior to oocyte aspiration may be indicators of intracellular lipids in the oocytes and embryos. To our knowledge, this is the first report that evaluated intracellular lipid content of M-II oocytes of different beef breed types using a sucrose buoyant density gradient and Nile Red staining.

Discerning Lines Of Demarcation, Jennifer Dawn Poueymirou

LSU Master's Theses

Discerning Lines of Demarcation is an investigation into the accumulated landscape of distressing times. Situations of mass destruction, loss of family, substance abuse, domestic violence, loss of friendship, and uncertain health have all been encountered within a steady progression in the last five to six years of my life. The digestion of these situations has been slow as the events overlap and intertwine each other. I have tweezed and distilled these circumstances. This is described through different types of terrains that create physical boundaries to represent psychological fears or events. Tied to Your Hate; How Much More Will Fall, Untitled, …

Evaluation Of Allochthonous And Autochthonous Microbial Populations In The In-Situ Remediation Of Weathered Oil In A Coastal Freshwater Habitat, Kyle Alan Schmidt

LSU Master's Theses

Use of bioremedial technologies has gained popularity in recent decades for application at oil spill sites. While much research has been done on specific case studies along marine shores, such as with the spill of the Exxon Valdez, there still remain questions as to the advantage of active biological treatment vs. natural attenuation in freshwater environments. To examine this question, a comparative study of allochthonous and autochthonous microbial communities ability to degrade weathered oil residuals was implemented at the CITGO Petroleum Refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana following a spill of approximately 40,000 barrels of slop oil on June 19th, 2006 …

Influence Of Temperature On The Performance Of Wetlands Treating Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds, Maria G. Murillo

LSU Master's Theses

Various studies have presented models to predict the performance of constructed wetlands at different temperatures focused on the removal of conventional pollutants, and common configuration of constructed wetlands. Investigations on the effect of temperature on the performance of constructed wetlands treating chlorinated volatile organic compounds are limited to microcosm studies. This study is meant to come up with kinetic and energy balance input data for mathematical models that can be used to predict the performance of upflow constructed treatment wetlands treating chlorinated ethenes and ethanes at different ambient temperatures. Bench scale continuous upflow columns will be conducted to investigate the …

Evaluation Of Compliance With The Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, Racquel Rena Douglas

LSU Master's Theses

Cryptosporidium is a common protozoan parasite that causes cryptosporidiosis, a severe gastrointestinal disease. Currently, there is no antibiotic available to treat the disease. Cryptosporidium has been responsible for several waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States. The largest cryptosporidiosis outbreak in United States history occurred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in spring 1993. The vulnerability of the United State drinking water supply to waterborne disease outbreak is still prevalent nearly 15 years after the Milwaukee outbreak. In order to effectively control Cryptosporidium, the EPA has strengthened the regulations on turbidity control for filtration performance by implementing the Long Term 1 Enhanced Surface …

Culture-Independent Identification Of Gut Bacteria In Fourth-Instar Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta Buren, Larvae, Albert Hon-Yu Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Red imported fire ants (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren, are medical, urban, and agricultural pests from South America. Fourth-instar larvae are used by the colony to digest solid food and then regurgitate it for consumption by workers and queens. Larvae are an ideal source of investigations of obligate endosymbiotic bacteria possibly involved in nutrient distributions. I attempted to first identify what bacteria species are in the guts of larvae followed by antibiotic and microscopy work to further study their roles in the ants. The composition of the bacterial community in fire ant larvae was described with culture-independent methods utilizing 16S rDNA …

Dragons Behind Glass: Views Of China And Japan In Three American Museums, Kristina Elaine Polizzi

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis will focus on three museums: the American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York, the Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Alabama and the Morikami Museum in Del Ray Beach, Florida. Overall the museums took surprisingly different approaches to designing their exhibits. The American Museum of Natural History gave a general overview of Japan and China. The Mobile Museum of Art focused only on pottery and the Morikami Museum focused on the Japanese immigrants that settled in Del Ray Beach. Differences and similarities of these museums and what these exhibits tell the viewer about the two …